1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a stator manufacturing and testing method and apparatus. This invention is especially adapted for the manufacture and testing of 2-pole stators for electric motors or other electrical devices, but aspects of this invention may be applicable to other manufacturing methods and apparatus.
2. Prior Art and Other Considerations
Modern stator manufacturing production lines include several different stations at which different manufacturing operations are performed. One such operation that is frequently accomplished at an early stage in the process for manufacturing a 2-pole stator is to assemble stator coil terminals or supports therefor on an unwound stator core. Thereafter, the stator coils are wound on the stator core pole pieces at a stator winding station using magnet wire having an electrically insulating coating. A common practice in use at this time is to temporarily clamp the stator coil lead wires to wire clamps during the winding process. At a later stage, the lead wires are connected to the terminals mounted on the stator core. Usually at a still later stage in the manufacture of the stator, the stator coils are tested for continuity and resistance.
One type of stator manufacturing machine, known as a turret winder, such as the machine 50 disclosed in Beakes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,405, granted Feb. 16, 1993, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, includes a turret by which unwound stators having cores on which terminal members have previously been assembled are moved to a stator winding station at which the stator coils are wound and by which the freshly wound stators are then moved to a lead connect station at which the stator coil lead wires are connected to the terminal members on the core. The coil winding process typically requires more time to complete than do the lead wire connecting operations or the testing operations. It has been suggested that there would be an advantage to testing the coils of each stator for resistance and shorts while the stator is still located on the turret of a turret winder. If the stator coils are tested immediately after being wound, the winding machine operations can be immediately halted in the event a stator fails a test procedure so that the condition which caused the failure can be promptly cured. This would avoid the possibility that a substantial number of similarly defective stators are wound before the defect is discovered.